1031-1039 BURNABY STREET APARTMENT TOWER PROPOSAL AWAITS RULING
A continued trend of increased density between Burrard and Thurlow

by Jake McGrail
(click images to enlarge)

**A RENDERING OF THE PROPOSED TOWER AT 1031-1039 BURNABY STREET (BOXER HOLDINGS/URBAN SOLUTIONS ARCHITECTURE)**

With one new tower still yet to be built, the stretch of Burnaby Street between Burrard and Thurlow already now has plans afoot to build a second one right next door. That is, of course, assuming that the City Council approves it.

The lot of 1031-1039 Burnaby, currently home to two low-rise apartment buildings and home to a combined 47 units, is the subject of an application submitted to the city by Boxer Holdings this past August. It proposes a zoning change for the lot from RM-5A (Residential) to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development), allowing the construction of a 32-storey tower containing 329 rental apartments.

Notably, the proposal states that 58 of those homes (a little under 20 percent) would be bought and controlled by VRS Communities, a housing advocacy organization. Those designated units would be below-market rentals and would focus on providing homes for those who could most benefit from more accessible and affordable places to live – such as those with disabilities, seniors and other more vulnerable groups.

The mix of apartment sizes would be 30 percent studios, 26 percent one-bedroom, 41 percent two-bedroom and 3 percent three-bedroom units. There’s no word on how much they might cost. The proposal also states there would be 183 stalls of underground parking, along with nine car-share stalls above ground.

**THE SITE OF THE PROJECT (BOXER HOLDINGS/URBAN SOLUTIONS ARCHITECTURE)**

If built, this tower would (presumably) stand right next to another tower that’s in the middle of the development process at 1045 Burnaby. Owned by both Gracorp and Fiera Real Estate, that plan – approved by the city at the end of 2023 – calls for a 16-storey tower that’s also a mix of market and below-market rental apartments.

That project has not come along quickly, however, and in fact the two real estate developers who own the lot became embroiled in a legal battle back in the fall of 2024, one that has not yet had a (public) resolution. The 1031-1039 Burnaby proposal does not have a similar issue of co-ownership, but it’s an example of how things can go off the rails at any point in the long and expensive process of trying to build an apartment tower.

The application document for the 1031-1039 tower states that the proposed building would fit in well amongst the other tall buildings situated at different points between Burrard and Thurlow, and would not overshadow any of the existing skyline.

In addition to an indoor gym and a designated outdoor space for yet-to-be-decided amenities, the proposal states that it would create more interconnectivity in its immediate neighbourhood by providing a pathway between Burnaby Street and Pantages Lane, giving greater ease of access to and from the Davie Street Village. It also says that the developers have identified “place recognition opportunities” along Pantages Lane, which could serve to enhance the locale in some way…however vague that might sound.

The online Q&A period for the application was held in January, and there’s currently no word on a potential public hearing date or whether or not the proposal will be approved in its current form.

What is definitely notable regardless is the potential for continued expansion of CD-1 zoning, with the 1045 and – should it be approved – 1031-1039 sites being two of very few spots of land south of Davie to have that zoning designation without directly touching either Burrard or Thurlow. While some developments continue to seemingly stall out, the rate of redevelopment applications submitted also continues to march on.